The Wanted star Tom Parker has posted a poignant message to his daughter after revealing his terminal brain tumour diagnosis.
The singer, 32, shared a photo of his daughter Aurelia, 15 months, on Wednesday, days after welcoming his second child with daughter Kelsey.
He captioned the sweet snap of a smiling Aurelia in blue knitwear: ‘You are everything worth fighting for! @aureliaroseparker.’
Fight: The Wanted star Tom Parker has posted a poignant message to his daughter after revealing his terminal brain tumour diagnosis
Tom and wife Kelsey welcomed their second child, a baby boy, just 15 days after revealing the star has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour.
The singer’s former bandmate Max George confirmed the news on Tuesday’s Lorraine, revealing Kelsey, 30, gave birth last week and said Tom, 32, is ‘doing good’.
Speaking to host Lorraine Kelly, Max, 32, who is currently competing on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, said: ‘I spoke to him yesterday and he’s doing good, he’s doing great.
‘Kelsey gave birth to their second child last week. He’s a fighter, Tom, he will be alright. If you’re watching by the way, mwah, I love you all.’
Baby boy: Tom and his wife Kelsey welcomed their second child, a baby boy, last week – 15 days after he revealed he had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour (pictured over the summer)
Tom and Kelsey’s second child will be a big brother for the couple’s daughter Aurelia, 15 months.
The pair are yet to announce the news themselves on social media.
On October 12, Tom announced he has grade four glioblastoma, with the singer undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment in a bid to prolong his life.
Life expectancy for this illness ranges from three months to 18 months after diagnosis, but the couple have not asked to hear Tom’s prognosis amid fears he would ‘sit and count down the days and not live his life’.
Confirmed: The singer’s former bandmate Max George confirmed the news on Tuesday’s Lorraine, revealing Kelsey had given birth last week (Tom and Kelsey pictured with Aurelia)
News: Talking to host Lorraine Kelly, Max, 32, who is currently competing on this year’s Strictly, said: ‘Kelsey gave birth to their second child last week. He’s a fighter, Tom will be alright. If you’re watching by the way, mwah, I love you all.’ (pictured with pro Dianne Buswell)
Tom and Kelsey welcomed daughter Aurelia Rose in July 2019 and announced they were expecting their second child, a baby boy, in June this year.
Kelsey decided she wanted a home birth, so Tom could be around after Covid restrictions in hospital would have limited their time together during labour.
The couple have been together for more than 10 years after originally meeting in a night club. They became engaged in 2016 and tied the knot two years later in July 2018.
They decided to announce Tom’s devastating diagnosis, 36 weeks into Kelsey’s pregnancy.
Close bond: Max added: ‘I spoke to him yesterday and he’s doing good, he’s doing great’ (pictured with Strictly pro Dianne, R, and host Lorraine Kelly, L, on the ITV chatshow)
The Wanted: Tom rose to fame as a singer in boy band The Wanted in 2009, before they went on hiatus in 2014 (pictured in 2013 with L-R Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, Max George and Jay McGuiness)
Kelsey said at the time she had forgotten she was pregnant because her sole focus was on Tom.
Posting a photo with Kelsey and Aurelia Rose earlier this month, the singer wrote: ‘Hey guys, you know that we’ve both been quiet on social media for a few weeks and it’s time to tell you why.
‘There’s no easy way to say this but I’ve sadly been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour and I’m already undergoing treatment.
‘We decided, after a lot of thought, that rather than hiding away and trying to keep it a secret, we would do one interview where we could lay out all the details and let everyone know the facts in our own way.
Sweet: This is Tom and Kelsey’s second child, they also have 15-month-old daughter Aurelia. They are yet to announce the news themselves on social media
Growing family: The couple announced they were expecting their second child, a baby boy, in June this year with Kelsey wanting a home birth so Tom could be around after Covid restrictions in hospital would have limited their time together during labour
‘We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way. We don’t want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options.
‘It’s gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support we are going to beat this. Tom and Kelsey xxx.’
Tom told OK! Magazine he underwent tests after he began suffering unexplained seizures, with doctors giving the family the ‘worst case scenario’ and revealing he had a grade four glioblastoma when they were on a staycation in Norwich over the summer.
The singer said he was still in ‘complete shock’ from the devastating diagnosis, with Kelsey adding the couple ‘knew’ something was wrong in July but would never have imagined he could have a tumour.
‘We are going to beat this’: On October 12, Tom, 32, emotionally announced he has grade four glioblastoma, with the singer already undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment in a bid to prolong his life
Tom said: ‘I knew something wasn’t right, but I never expected it to be this. You never think this will happen to you.’
The star visited A&E after having his first seizure, where he complained of having a bad back and had a mark on his head.
Tom was then sent home but felt like he had concussion, with the singer returning to hospital the following week and put on a waiting list to have an MRI.
The family went on holiday to Norwich in August with Tom enduring another ‘much worse’ seizure, six weeks after the first one.
Soulmates: The couple have been together for more than 10 years after originally meeting in a night club (pictured)
Kelsey said she and Tom had to ‘push’ for paramedic to come, with Tom having an MRI when he arrived.
He added that he was told he would be out in four hours but ended up being there for three days having tests.
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Discussing the moment he was given his devastating diagnosis, he said: ‘A couple of days later, when we were still on holiday. Kelsey couldn’t come in because of Covid.
‘They pulled the curtain around my bed and said, ”It’s a brain tumour.” All I could think was, ”F*****g hell!” I was in shock. It’s stage four glioblastoma and they’ve said its terminal. It was a lot to deal with by myself. I still haven’t processed it.’
Kelsey said: ‘It was horrendous. They rang me and told me over the phone. They said, ”It’s a tumour and it’s worst-case scenario.”
Together: Tom and Kelsey have been together since 2009 and tied the knot in 2018 (pictured May 2016)
‘They also told us it was inoperable and what the treatment would be. I was in a complete state. All I could think was, ”What’s going to happen and what is our life now?”
Tom is now undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in a bid to shrink the tumour at King’s College Hospital in London which he says has been ‘intense and tiring’.
Kelsey said more tumours will ‘probably pop up’ and that Tom could live with the disease for the rest of his life, undergoing treatment to shrink tumours.
Support: Tom Parker’s The Wanted pals (pictured centre with Jay McGuiness, far left, Nathan Sykes, left, Max George, right, and Siva Kaneswaran, far right, in 2013) have rallied round their ex-bandmate after he revealed his terminal brain tumour diagnosis
Due to COVID-19 regulations, Kelsey is not allowed to accompany him to treatment.
The couple added they have not asked about a prognosis, with Kelsey saying it would not be good for Tom’s state of mind, and that he would ‘sit and count down the days and not live his life’.
Tom and Kelsey are now hoping for a miracle and remaining positive as Tom battles the tumour, with the couple exploring alternative treatments and clinical trials both in the UK and abroad.
The star said he needs ‘everyone’s love and positivity’ during his fight and said he was buoyed by stories of people given a bad prognosis but had defied the odds.
Glioblastoma is considered the most aggressive tumour that can form in the brain. Senator John McCain was diagnosed with one in July 2017.
Patients have a 10 percent chance of surviving five years after their diagnosis, according to figures. The average lifespan is between 14 and 16 months.
Three adults per every 100,000 will be struck down with a glioblastoma, says The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
It is most commonly found in men aged 50 to 60, and there is no link between developing glioblastoma and having a previous history with other cancers.
Treatment is usually surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by a combination of radio- and chemotherapy (chemoradiation).
WHAT IS A GLIOBLASTOMA AND JUST HOW DEADLY IS IT? THE AGGRESSIVE BRAIN TUMOR SUFFERED BY JOHN MCCAIN
Senator John McCain was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in July 2017
Glioblastoma is considered the most aggressive tumor that can form in the brain. Senator John McCain was diagnosed with one in July 2017.
Patients have a 10 percent chance of surviving five years after their diagnosis, according to figures. The average lifespan is between 14 and 16 months.
Three adults per every 100,000 will be struck down with a glioblastoma, says The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
It is most commonly found in men aged 50 to 60, and there is no link between developing glioblastoma and having a previous history with other cancers.
WHAT IS THE TUMOR MADE OF?
The tumor is made up of a mass of cells growing quickly in the brain, and in most cases patients have no family history of the disease.
It won’t spread to other organs, however, once it is diagnosed, it is nearly impossible to target, surgeons claim.
Unlike other types of brain cancer which are more specifically located, glioblastoma can occur in any part of the brain.
WHAT TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE?
Because the tumor likely already spread deep into the brain by the time it is diagnosed, the cancerous tissue is incredibly difficult to remove.
Surgeon will only ever remove the tumor, or part of the tumor, if it won’t do any damage to the surrounding brain tissue.
Dr Babcar Cisse, a neurosurgeon at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, told Daily Mail Online in July 2017: ‘By the time a glioblastoma is diagnosed, microfibers can spread to the rest of the brain which an MRI would not spot.
‘So even if the main tumor is removed and the patient receives radiation and chemotherapy, it will come back.’
GRADING A GLIOBLASTOMA
Brain tumors are graded from between one to four, depending on how fast they grow and how aggressive they are.
Malignant tumors are either given a high-grade three or four, while benign ones are given a lower grade one or two.
Glioblastoma is often referred to as a grade four astrocytoma – another form of brain tumor, says the AANS.
SYMPTOMS
Patients typically complain of symptoms such as confused vision, trouble with memory, dizziness and headaches.
The symptoms are somewhat nonspecific, and vary from person to person, and may not persist.
The disease is therefore impossible to diagnose based on symptoms alone.
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